Stories & strategies for change leaders.

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Denise Withers

Denise Withers

Award-winning filmmaker & writer who's inspired millions to take action on issues from equity to the environment, through channels that include Discovery, CBC, NatGeo, SSIR, NFB and National Post.

Make transparency your leadership superpower

Make transparency your leadership superpower

After two hours of racing in the hot sun and rough sea, our 6-person outrigger canoe team was neck and neck with another club coming into the home stretch. I was in the second seat from the front of the boat. And I was spent. While every position is hard,

Why we need to do more hard things

Why we need to do more hard things

When my summer job making whitewater videos ended, I moved to Ottawa to look for work. It was late fall and I had no money, friends or contacts. My family thought I was crazy. If I would just move back home to Toronto, I could live with my parents in

How simple questions can spark a revolution for good

How simple questions can spark a revolution for good

What do Dan Bongino, Charlie Kirk, Glen Beck, Tim Pool, Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson at Fox News all have in common? They all lost their platforms for spreading hate and disinformation, thanks to Claire Atkin and Nandini Jammi, the digital marketers behind the ad tech watchdog, the Check My

A lifetime of leadership insights on my birthday

A lifetime of leadership insights on my birthday

It's my birthday this weekend! So I thought I'd celebrate by sharing some memories and leadership lessons from my journey. Leading change is more fun with friends. As a kid, my friends and I organized several "muscular dystrophy" carnivals - my first charity events. And they were a huge success.

How to lead for growth

How to lead for growth

I was on a coach mentoring call the other day, where certified coaches practice and critique each other to get better at their craft. And I noticed that one of the coaches kept trying to solve her client's problem. That's a no-no for coaches. Our job is to be a

Why failures make the best stories

Why failures make the best stories

"I can't think of a good story to tell." Sound familiar? It's a response I get every time I teach storytelling. And my most recent workshop with the Fraser Basin Council was no exception. The young leaders I was working with were doing incredible work in their communities to tackle

An insider's advice for narrative change

An insider's advice for narrative change

We're all in the business of narrative change. Whether we're trying to cut greenhouse gas emissions, build a stronger team at work or just lose five pounds – what we're really trying to do is replace the stories that control our current culture and behaviour with stories that inspire us to